25+ Midwest Memes for Nice Folks Who Say Ope (September 20, 2024)

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Sep 20, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

My favorite thing about the Midwest has to be our sense of humor. Without the elitism of the coasts, we have the perfect sense of self-deprecation and irony. Take, for example, the pride and joy of Chicago: Malört. For those uninitiated, it's a wormwood liqueur invented by a Swedish immigrant in Chicago, known for its incredibly bitter taste. A shot of the stuff plus an Old Style beer is known as a "Chicago Handshake." And boy what a welcome it is-- it tastes like gasoline, fire, and a little bit of grapefruit.

But the thing about us Midwesterners is that we KNOW it tastes bad. We don't pretend like it's Veuve Cliquot in order to impress out-of-towners. No, we have a good sense of humor about it, and use it to bond people together. And if that ain't the Midwestern way, I don't know what is. These memes understand that.